Sunday, August 10, 2008

Where I admit I am wrong

A lot of the time, I like it when I am wrong. For example, when I first mentioned Brand Properties' plan for a grocery store on Memorial Dr. near Reynoldstown, I said:

I don't know much about Brand Properties, although I am a little familiar with their Buford Village project. I don't think they are very big, and this looks to be their first in-town project. If they can pull it off, I don't have high expectations. I hope I'm wrong, of course.

Morgan said the project would be designed differently than a typical grocer-anchored strip center. Instead of a large surface parking lot out front, parking will be hidden behind a row of retail shops topped by apartments, which will front Memorial. The grocery store will be set off to one side.

That certainly sounds encouraging. There will still be a surface parking lot of some sort, which is a necessary evil of course. But they are handling it the right way. So far, they have proved me wrong. (See how humble I am? I am so much more humble than your average blogger!)

Also, the developers plan a "mainstream" tenant, specifically ruling out tenants like Whole Foods. Since Kroger has stores at the Edgewood Retail District and also at Moreland and Confederate, I presume they are talking to Publix, who doesn't have a location anywhere close.